Cutting and storing negatives

Once your film is dry, cut it into strips and slide them into negative sleeves. Sleeves keep the negatives flat, clean and in order, ready for scanning or printing.

What you need

• Dry, developed film
• Clean scissors
• Negative sleeves made for your film format
• A pen for labelling

Cutting the film into strips

The length of each strip depends entirely on your sleeves. Some take strips of four frames, some take six.

1. Lay the film over one row of a sleeve and count how many frames fit. Cut every strip to that length.
2. Hold the film by its edges, with the shiny side facing you.
3. Cut in the gap between two frames. Look through the film at a light to find the gaps.
4. Slide each strip into its row as you cut it, so strips do not get mixed up.

Storing your negatives

• Write the date and what is on the roll at the top of the sleeve.
• Store sleeves flat, in a folder or box, somewhere cool and dry.
• Keep them away from damp rooms such as lofts and garages.

A labelled sleeve is much easier to find again when you want to print or scan a frame.